As most of you should know by now, I'm a self-proclaimed rookie at hunting. I've owned and shot guns, but not in the field. Circumstances were such that I just didn't have the opportunity. Now I do.

So with that, I have put together the basic gear, picked up the gun, and need to get over to the local Firing Range to get my gun zeroed in, and become "one" with it.

The constant checks I do, of the State of Connecticut DEP Website, for Hunter Safety Classes (required before Licensing) either reveal classes that are seemingly "full" almost immediately, or none at all.

Here are my next goals:

-Get into some Hunter Safety Course SOMEWHERE (anywhere in my
State.
-Get over to the Firing Range
-Upon completion of the next available Hunter Safety Course, go to
Town Hall and get my Hunting License (even if I DON'T intend to hunt
this year, I'll need a License here, in order to secure one in Maine,
which is apparently the prerequisite for that).
-Plan a hunting trip for next fall (I have already made the necessary
call to my "brother" up in Maine and we are actively talking about
Moose in October, but I think a Buck Deer may be my only realistic
hope, if the odds of getting a Lottery for Moose are as tough as
I hear).

So my questions are:

-Am I missing any other opportunities, (leads) for Hunter Safety Classes?
(I have Rod & Gun Clubs in my area, but I'm having trouble getting
info from them).
-I went to my local Firing Range 30 years ago, with the rifles I had at
that time, in the hopes of getting out to hunt. What do they cost
these days? Time limits on the range? Do they provide Targets?
-I have heard that "getting picked in the Lottery in Maine for Moose
has taken SOME folks "ten years" to achieve. Is it really THAT hard
to get? What are my realistic odds?

I realize of course, that some of you are saying, "hey, this is a Deer Forum, not a Moose Forum," and I apologize ahead of time if my questions about Moose hunting are misplaced here. It's just that I figure that many of you have hunted for a lot more than just "deer" and likely have hunted in Northern Maine and Eastern Pennsylvania as I am hoping to do, and can shed some light on both locations and alternate food for harvesting besides Deer. (Got nothing against "Deer" at all; in fact, I heard that there IS no Lottery for Bucks in Maine. I'd think THAT would be a better goal, since there isn't a Lottery for them).

It is also possible that someone who reads this, might be from Connecticut as well, and is saying, "What about hunting right here at home?!" Valid point! There ARE Deer here, and an occasional Moose and Black Bear even. I have a fairly good friend who is a hunter here, who I'm trying to get info from (he's a busy guy right now, working for the Utility companies, and we are still cleaning up from Sandy in these parts, so I understand why he's hard to reach these days), about hunting in Connecticut. It is my understanding that "high powered rifles" are only allowed on Private Land in excess of 100 acres (or something like that), and I will have to make some inquiries to find out how to find these farms that will allow me, (not going to be able to convince the wife to let me go get another gun right now, like a shotgun for example), and what it takes to get permission to hunt there.